Weekend Challenge 3: The Chronicle of Higher Education

According to the article, there are at least two ways of truly assessing the value of college education. One way is to perceive from the economic standpoint, computing the cost and acquired benefits of having a college education. From this view, college is valued as something that would permit members of the society a golden ticket that would allow to them to acquire better jobs with better payments, thus more money and supposedly happier lives. Studies and surveys add credibility to this standpoint and many have said that college has indeed proven itself as a tool to acquire an advantage out in the world of adults. On the other hand, the article also argues that college education is also a tool for personal growth and development. Many universities offer various courses and degrees that allow students to gain a vast amount of knowledge about the mechanical workings of the systems of the universe through science, philosophy, and mathematics. These knowledge provide a perspective of the world as a magnificent creation of an intelligent being, however, the focus of education on our present society is somewhat limited to that of a tool for getting only better jobs and opportunities.
The system of education has devalued the true worth of a human being in his or her talents, emotions, and aspirations. From these two perspectives, I think that there is a balance in between, and from this balance comes the greatest value and true worth of education whether college or high school. If people are able to realize that education is a source of wisdom not only for getting jobs but also for perceiving the world in a new light, then it would provide means for a better society. The opportunities of college education in our current society makes it easier for the members to acquire means of a better lifestyle. It is through our choice of either making our talents and creativity bloom or rigorously training our brains for intellectual gains. College and High school education serves each person differently according to one’s own talents, needs, interests and will power. Not every college graduate can find better jobs, but through college education, one can indeed greatly enhance one’s potential and inner self through the people they meet and lessons, not only academicals but also for life, that they learn.
In the modern setting of our world today, higher education most commonly serves as an arena for training people to become makers and employees, who would buy stuff and interact with the society economically. In this system, large corporations are able to acquire efficient workers with minimum costs and would also be able to gain a portion of the population’s efforts through corporate connections. In Coates own words, the notion of college education becomes an analogy for “The Mecca” in the sense that it becomes a righteous place to be in, and is one of the ultimate evidences of success. The history of col...